St. Paul Man Sentenced in Rice County Distracted Driving Case

Chad Michael Gibson, 43, of St. Paul was sentenced to 105 months in prison today for causing a crash on I-35 near Highway 60 in Faribault. According to Rice County Attorney John Fossum, "On August 13, 2016 Gibson was driving a vehicle south on I-35 heading to Owatonna. North of Faribault he entered a construction zone and passed signs on each side of the road warning of road construction and possible slowdowns ahead."

"Forensic evidence showed that Gibson had his cruise control set at 78 when he crashed into the Back of a Kia Sorrento. The drive of the Kia was killed and the passenger seriously injured. Gibson did not brake or swerve to avoid the crash, he told a trooper he was looking for a Mountain Dew at the time."

Gibson pled guilty to Criminal Vehicular Homicide in 2018 and was given a stayed sentence. The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed the District Court's determination that probation was appropriate and ordered Gibson to be re-sentenced in April. In the meantime, Gibson was found to be in violation of his conditions of probation and admitted on May 30, 2019 that he violated those conditions.

Today the court imposed the nearly 9 year sentence for Criminal Vehicular Homicide it had originally stayed and a 43 month concurrent sentence for Criminal Vehicular Operation for the injuries caused to the passenger.

Rice County Attorney John Fossum says, "This sentence appropriately reflects the harm to community caused by Mr. Gibson, and the seriousness of this offense."

According to Fossum it was the maximum sentence under the sentencing guidelines available for Gibson.